Tag Archives: FEI World Jumping Challenge Final

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Youth Shines Bright as Israel’s Sternbach Grabs the Gold in Tashkent

Leave a comment

Nadav Sternbach and Aragon (FEI/Yong Teck Lim).

Israel’s Nadav Sternbach (18) scooped the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2018 title in a nail-biting jump-off in Tashkent (UZB). It came down to a head-to-head against Argentina’s Richard Kierkegaard (15), and there was little between the two of them in the end.

“I came to just have fun, but this is really exciting!” said Sternbach who left 19 competitors from 15 countries in his wake as he seized the crown at this 17th edition of the event which moved to Central Asia for the very first time this year.

All the competing athletes qualified in 2017 when the Challenge was also used by 44 countries as the official qualifier for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Buenos Aires (ARG). A total of 23 out of 30 athletes who are on the way to the YOG have made the cut through the Challenge series, and six of those used this week’s fixture as the perfect final run, because, just like at the YOG, the biggest test of all is that they must ride a horse they’ve never sat on before.

The flags of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Israel, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Senegal, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe all flew high as the Warm-up class got underway on Thursday when the host nation’s Abdushukur Sobirjonov (16) steered Rejayna into the winner’s enclosure. The age range of riders varied from 16 to 55, but it was the younger generation that dominated from start to finish, Turgunboev topping the line-up in Friday’s First Qualifier and Kyrgyzstan’s Kamil Sabitov, who turns 18 next week, pinning Guatemala’s Jose Ignacio Rosal (23) into runner-up spot in the Second Qualifier in which Sternbach finished third.

There were nine starters in the Farewell class for those who didn’t make it through to the medal-decider, and victory went to Bolivia’s Gonzalo Bedoya Aguilar (18) who produced the only clear round with Coupette. There was great excitement when Hamoudi Kazoun (35), Senegal’s first-ever entry for this event, finished second with just a single time penalty while the next two places went to Zimbabwe’s Brianagh Clark (17) and Zambia’s Anna Bunty Howard (16) whose next stop is the YOG.

All 10 of those qualified for the Final started again on a zero score, but although five managed to stay clear in the first round, only Sternbach and Kierkegaard kept a clean sheet second time out over the course designed by Australia’s John Vallance. The hosts were already happy, because Turgunboev, riding Ambassador, had secured the third step of the podium for Uzbekistan before Kierkegaard led the way into the jump-off against the clock. And when he lowered the second fence, the young Argentinian, who claimed Children’s team gold at the FEI South American Championships in both 2015 and again in 2016, galloped on to put in the quickest possible time on the board.

So, last into the arena, Sternbach knew that he had four faults in 64.8 seconds to beat. But his confidence took a major blow when he hit the very first fence.

“I meant to go in and jump a slow, nice clear and then the fence fell – luckily it was number one, so I had the time to catch up, but I was super-stressed trying to make it home as quick as I could!” Sternbach said after posting the faster time of 61.87 for the win.

He knew he was fortunate to be partnered with the 15-year-old gelding Aragon, who is normally ridden by Uzbekistan’s Timus Sadikov. “He’s a really nice horse but it took a little bit of time to get used to him. In the Warm-up class we had 13 faults but that was a bit of a wake-up call and we got a lot better after that! He’s very strong and has a very big stride and the courses were built on short distances which was not to my advantage, but he’s a really good jumper and he’s very careful, and as the competition went on we connected really well. He really helped me, especially in that jump-off!” Sternbach said.

Result

FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2018: Gold – Aragon (Nadav Sternbach) ISR 0/0 61.87; Silver – Ramiro (Richard Kierkegaard) ARG 0/0 64.8; Bronze – Ambassador (Saidamirkhon Turgenboev) UZB 0/1.

By Louise Parkes

Media contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Media Relations and Communications Manager
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Iran’s Pourrezal Pips South Africa’s Hendry in Three-Round Final Thriller

Leave a comment

Iran’s Davood Pourrezal steered Drazki to win gold at the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2015 at Zhitnica in Bulgaria. (FEI/Tanya Mladenova)

Zhitnica (BUL), 6 July 2015 – Iranian rider, Davood Pourrezal, galloped to gold in an exciting three-way jump-off against the clock in the closing competition at the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2015 in Zhitnica, Bulgaria yesterday. South Africa’s Simon Hendry took silver ahead of Namibia’s Michelle Kuenzle in bronze at the event which was staged at the HRC Trakietz Equestrian Centre.

The Final is open to Category A riders from 10 FEI regional zones and this year attracted 22 riders from 17 countries. And the flags of Bermuda, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syria, Swaziland, Uruguay and Venezuela were all flown with pride over the four days of competition.

Underway

The action got underway last Wednesday when 29 horses were presented for the veterinary inspection. The purpose of the FEI World Jumping Challenge series and Final is to introduce less experienced riders in comparatively remote countries to international-level competition. And the first test they face at the Final is building a relationship with a borrowed horse which is no mean feat at any time, even for the most professional of riders.

As always, the horse-and-rider combinations were decided by a draw, which was followed by a training session and then a confidence-building Warm-up competition. Run under Table A, article 238.1.1 rules, athletes with equality of penalties shared the prizes, so it was a seven-way divide between Giorgia Iermazzo from Dominican Republic, Uruguay’s Jorge Rossi, South Africa’s Simon Hendry, Chile’s Alfonse Anguita, Colombia’s Alejandro Castilla Galan, Saad Jabri from Morocco and India’s Rushil Patel when they all jumped clear.

The official Opening Ceremony was held that evening with all 22 competitors taking part in the athletes parade, and it was a very special occasion as the Organising Committee put together a programme that included traditional music and a video montage for each competing nation. Afterwards the athletes released air balloons to mark the beginning of the event.

Perfect start

The eventual champion got off to a perfect start the following day when, partnering the nine-year-old Drazki, he topped the one-round First Qualifier ahead of Colombia’s Castilla Galan while Saudi Arabia’s Meshal Alharbi slotted into third. It was an impressive opening effort from all the competitors, with 14 steering their mounts clear over the course.

It was in Friday’s Second Qualifier that South Africa’s Hendry began to look seriously competitive when lining up second in the two-round class over a 1.20m course with the 11-year-old Mirella Freni. Winner here was Saad Jabri with the 10-year-old Finesse whose speedy turn of foot in the second round gave the Moroccan rider more than two seconds of a winning advantage. Giorgia Ieromazzo finished third with Viziorka while Bulgaria’s Zhelyazko Dimitrov was fourth when producing the only other double-clear of the competition with Piquer.

The results of the first two qualifiers decided the top-10 who would go into the final day.

Satisfying result

Sunday’s action began with the Farewell competition for the athletes that didn’t make the cut to the Final, and Bermuda’s Krista Rabain had a particularly satisfying result when finishing third here with Rubine following her elimination for a fall in Friday’s class. There were only two clear rounds, and Venezuela’s Diego Malave Cariello produced by far the quickest of these when taking the win with Charizma who raced through the timers in 62.43 seconds. India’s Rushil Patel opted for a safe clear with Paris, and the decision paid off handsomely when the pair broke the beam in 77.8 seconds but left all the timber in place for runner-up spot.

Now it was down to the Final itself, and when only three managed to stay double-clear over the first two rounds, a thrilling jump-off was guaranteed. And it didn’t disappoint.

First out was Hendry who really put it up to the others when clear and fast in 36.00 seconds with Mirella Freni. And when Namibia’s Michelle Kuenzle had a pole down with her feisty stallion Charodey, then only Pourrezal stood between the South African and the coveted title.

But the Iranian managed to squeeze home with Drazki in 35.23 seconds and that would clinch it. Pourrezal said afterwards that he knew Hendry would be his strongest opponent. He had selected him as the rider most likely to succeed in a survey undertaken earlier in the week by all the competitors. “I knew what I had to do, and when I came into the arena and saw the cup I thought to myself that to win it would be a dream!” His dream came true only a few seconds later.

Eclectic group

Pourrezal said he thoroughly enjoyed competing against such an eclectic group from all around the globe. “I’d really like to compete in an event like this again,” he said. When asked about riding an unfamiliar horse he explained that he is used to different rides, so it was not a particular challenge for him. And he was delighted with the performance of the horse allocated to him.

“My first impression was that Drazki was maybe not the best in the lot, but had potential,” he said. He changed his mind after riding him for the first time and winning the First Qualifier, however. “I could clearly feel that he was a good horse, and we really clicked!” said the delighted new champion.

Results:

FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2014: GOLD – Davood Pourrezal IRI; SILVER – Simon Hendry RSA; BRONZE – Michelle Kuenzle NAM.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At FEI:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
Grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Zimbabwe’s Crockart Pips Dominican Republic’s Brugal in Thrilling Final

Leave a comment

Left to right: silver medallist Maria Gabriela Brugal (DOM), Alexa Stais (RSA) who finished fourth, Rainer Korber (RSA) who took bronze and gold medallist Charley Crockart (ZIM). (FEI/Tamara Blake Images)

Kyalami (RSA), 6 October 2014 – Zimbabwe’s Charley Crockart emerged to claim gold at the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2014 staged at Kyalami Equestrian Park in South Africa at the weekend. This event is always guaranteed to come to an exciting conclusion with its four-rider change-horse final deciding the medals in exactly the same way as at the senior world championships. And once again this time around the closing stages certainly didn’t disappoint, with all four finalists going into a jump-off against the clock on the last afternoon when Maria Gabriela Brugal from the Dominican Republic filled silver medal position and the host nation’s Rainer Korber took the bronze.

Kyalami Equestrian Park is South Africa’s premier equestrian venue and is located close to Johannesburg. Covering 21 hectares, it embraces 10 competition arenas for use by all disciplines, with the Bob Charter Arena being the showcase ring for major events including the world-famous South African Derby. The competition areas boast top-quality grass and fibre surfaces, and with grandstand seating the location is ideal for top-level equestrian meetings.

Remote countries

The purpose of this competition is to provide international competitive opportunities for less experienced riders living in comparatively remote countries, and the qualifying series takes place over 10 geographical zones. This year a total of 18 riders representing 11 nations – Dominican Republic, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, Qatar, South Africa, Venezuela and Zimbabwe – came together for the week-long tournament that began with a draw for horses followed by training sessions and a warm-up competition.

Included in the start-list were five riders who participated in this summer’s Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China – Malaysia’s Praveen Nair, Qatar’s Hamad Nasser Al Qadi, Morocco’s Lilia Maamar, South Africa’s Alexa Stais and Dominican Republic’s Maria Gabriela Brugal.

Courses were designed by South Africa’s Anne-Marie Hesslinger who placed her name in the history books when becoming the first-ever female course designer to officiate at an FEI World Jumping Challenge Final. And it was Venezuela’s Daniel Ettedgui who came out on top in the opening training class in which he pipped eventual silver medallist Brugal, while Crockart finished third ahead of South Africa’s Alexa Stais in fourth. Stais stalked the leading group from the outset, and only narrowly missed out on a podium placing on the final day.

The Ground Jury for the event included President and FEI Foreign Judge, Germany’s Joachim Geilfus, Technical Delegate Rakhshan Radpour from Iran and Switzerland’s Pierre-Alain Glatt who was FEI Veterinary Delegate.

First qualifier

The real business got underway when Crockart, partnering Franlaren Stud’s Etoile du Soir, topped last Tuesday’s first qualifier in which the 28-year-old Zimbabwean pipped the host nation’s Rainer Korber riding Schwaike Bogena by almost a half-second while Dominican Republic’s Brugal lined up third.

It was Korber who came out on top in the second qualifier which came down to a six-way jump-off against the clock the following day. And it was a great day for the home side when the 33-year-old rider stamped his authority all over the final scoresheet when going clear in 31.51 and fellow-South African Stais was runner-up when almost two seconds slower.

Third spot here went to Qatar’s Hamad Nasser Al Qadi riding Seeis Darlington while South Africa’s Mariska Hogg steered Truganini into fourth.

A total of 11 riders went through to the Semi-Final on Thursday, including three from the host nation, two from Dominican Republic and one each from Qatar, Morocco, Paraguay, New Zealand and Venezuela. In a four-way jump-off against the clock, Maria Gabriela Brugal reigned supreme when bringing Trubador home in the quickest time of 39.57 followed by Alexa Stais in second, Charley Crockart in third and Rainer Korber in fourth place. These four would then battle it out for the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final medals on Saturday afternoon.

Continued to impress

The last day began with the Farewell competition which was open to all rider/horse combinations not qualified for the top-four Final, and the form riders continued to impress with South Africa’s Mariska Hogg finishing first with Truganini ahead of Venezuela’s Daniel Ettedgui and I’m Back in runner-up spot and Dominican Republic’s Beatric Ieromazzo in third with Schwaike Come on. Qatar’s Hamad Nasser Al Qadi (Seeis Darlington) lined up fourth, while Morocco’s Nezar Rebbah (Black Hawk) and Lilia Maamar (Schwaike Emi) finished fifth and sixth.

After fantastic performances throughout the week it was clear the four-way final would be a hard-fought affair, and the riders all remained on level pegging when each one of them collected just four faults apiece during the exciting rotation of horses.

Now the title would have to be decided by a jump-off against the clock, so, climbing back onboard the trusty steeds that had taken them so far already, it was South Africa’s Korber who was first to go in the timed round, and he really put it up to the rest of them when posting a brilliant clear in 28 seconds with Schwaike Bogena. However, Crockart shaved two full seconds off his target when next in with Etoile du Noir and when the second of the South Africans, Stais, left two on the floor with Anneli Drummond-Hay’s Mesquite then only Brugal could keep Crockart off the top step of the winner’s podium.

The Dominican Republic rider gave it a great shot with Gareth Neil’s Trubadour but, breaking the beam in 27 seconds, she had to settle for the silver at the end of a superb week of jumping.

Amazing final

“It was an amazing final!” Crockart said afterwards. “At the beginning I thought my horse would never make it, but he became better and better and gave me everything! I am so thankful and so happy!” she added, grateful to everyone including her Zimbabwean supporters “and my Mom!”

This event is as much about participation as success, and Venezuela’s Juan Andres Sauce admitted he had some reservations about abandoning his business commitments in order to take part this year. But even though he didn’t end up on the podium, he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

“I was really hesitating to come over from Venezuela to compete in this Final,” said the 46-year-old rider, “but I finally decided to come and I don’t regret it! It was not just about competing; it was about friendship, about meeting amazing, generous people, and it was my best Final!” he said happily.

Reflecting on the event, Jacqueline Braissant, FEI Solidarity Director, said, “I am thrilled! This Final was of a high standard. Everything went well; we had very well prepared and fit horses thanks to generous owners, good riders’ spirit, fantastic facilities and a very experienced and competent Ground Jury. Our hosts were fantastic – this was just magic Africa!” she pointed out.

“I think the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final, after having been organised six years in a row in South America, has found a new energy here in Kyalami. To have five young riders that have been competing in the Youth Olympic Games here says a lot about the importance of this series. Everyone agrees that besides the sport, this Final is about the values of respect, fair play, the welfare of the horse and simple solidarity,” she concluded.

Results:
FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2014: GOLD – Charley Crockart (ZIM); SILVER – Maria Gabriela Brugal (DOM); BRONZE – Rainer Korber (RSA).

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Media Relations
Email: malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 133

FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Dominican Republic’s Isabel Sanchez Gallops to Victory in Caracas

Leave a comment

(L to R) silver medallist Siengsaw Lertratanachai (THA), gold medallist Isabel Sanchez (DOM), bronze medallist Philippe Burckel (MRI) and Janine Khoo (SIN) who finished just outside the medals in fourth place.

Caracas (VEN), 25 June 2013 – The 12th annual FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2013 came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday 23 June at the Caracas Country Club in Venezuela where Isabel Sanchez from the Dominican Republic emerged victorious.  This year’s event attracted 21 competitors from 10 different regional zones, and 16 federations were represented.  The flags of Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Libya, Mauritius, New Zealand, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, Venezuela and Zimbabwe flew high at this truly international event, and the action-packed five-day fixture saw a very close finish, with Thailand’s Siengsaw Lertratanachi just pipped for gold while Philippe Burckel from Mauritius claimed bronze.

It was the perfect birthday celebration for gold medallist Sanchez who turned 20 last Thursday.  The FEI World Jumping Challenge series is open to riders of all ages, and the oldest competitor at this year’s event was 40-year-old Alt Lounis Brahim from Algeria while the youngest was Tunisian 16-year-old, Amel Meziane.

Regional Events

Category A riders qualify at their own regional events, and the Final is always staged outdoors and using borrowed horses.  It begins with a warm-up class and then moves on through two qualifying rounds before the Consolation Competition and Semi-Final on the penultimate afternoon.

The result is decided on the last day in a challenging four-way change-horse competition.  The format provides a true test of horsemanship as each rider must quickly form a good relationship with an unknown mount, and must then demonstrate further flexibility on the final day when horses are exchanged.

The series and Final are designed to provide top-quality competition for less experienced competitors from remote regions, helping them to develop their skills and guiding them towards positive future involvement in equestrian sport.  Its success is highlighted by the results achieved by graduates such as 2012 bronze medallist Emanuel Andrade from Venezuela who enjoyed another tremendous season at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida (USA) over the past winter.

Qualifiers

Partnered with Carnida Z, Sanchez lined up seventh in this year’s first qualifier which was won by 2010 FEI World Jumping Challenge champion Santiago Diaz Ortega from Colombia who also won the opening competition on his road to success three years ago.  Riding Cachafaz, the 24-year-old pipped Philippe Burkel from Mauritius by almost three seconds while New Zealand’s Rebekah Van Tiel slotted into third ahead of Singapore’s Janine Khoo.  There were three eliminations at this early stage while Venezuela’s Gustavo Machado withdrew, but 19 lined out in the second qualifier in which Khoo came out on top with After Eight Z.

There were only six clear rounds in this competition, and Algeria’s Alt Lounis Brahim made a superb recovery from elimination the previous day to produce a foot-perfect performance with Rotterdam Z.  The consistent Burckel lined up second with Benala while Van Tiel was once again third ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Bader Mohamed Alfard with Oscar du Pin.  Sanchez slotted into eighth place with another four-fault result.

Semi-Final

A win in the Semi-Final however gave the eventual champion the chance she had been waiting for.  With growing confidence she steered Carnida Z home in the fast time of 68.07 seconds to snatch pole position while, yet again, Burckel was runner-up and when Khoo finished third ahead of Lertratanachai it would be these four who would go through to the four-horse ride-off on the final day.  Paraguay’s Sofia Chaparro just missed out on a place in the ride-off when clear with Lendell but almost three seconds slower than Lertratanachai. However the 17-year-old was rightly pleased with her own performance and that of the horse allocated to her.  “Although lots of people thought my horse was difficult, I improved each day and I just fell in love with him!” Chaparro said.

The Farewell Consolation class went to a three-way jump-off against the clock with a super-fast clear round clinching it for Saudi Arabia’s Bandar Sami Binmahfouz and La Fe Falke ahead of Libya’s Georges Bittar (Too Much) in second and Argentina’s Victoria Jiminez (T Star) in third place.

There was also a National Final for Venezuelan riders in which Leopoldo Paoli and Country Boy were convincing winners ahead of Noel Vanososte (Ida) in second and Juan Andres Sauce (Tampa Graff) in third.

Change-Horse Final

Back at the sharp end, the change-horse Final began with clear rounds for all four riders on their own horses.  And Burckel was the only one to make a mistake in the second round when swopping his own Benala for Khoo’s ride, After Eight Z.

But with the tension mounting, Khoo was eliminated in round three when partnered with Templario who had earned a place in the closing stages for Lertratanachai and who had previously jumped clear for both the Thai rider and Sanchez.  Burckel began to slip with just a single fence down with Sanchez’s Carnida Z, but Lertratanachai stood firm with another clear, this time partnering Khoo’s After Eight Z.  So the Thai rider and Sanchez were on level pegging going into the fourth and last round carrying zero scores.

And in the end it was so very close, a jump-off between these two only prevented by the single time fault collected by Lertratanachi on her final tour of the track with Sanchez’s week-long partner, Carnida Z.  This time Sanchez rode Khoo’s After Eight Z and, again, breezed home with another fault-free effort to seal it, her time of 53.48 seconds almost two seconds quicker than that of her Thai rival.  Burckel picked up eight faults with Templario, but this was still good enough for bronze as his finishing total was 16 while, despite a superb recovery when steering Benala home clear at her last attempt, Khoo finished outside the medals due to her earlier elimination.

The Best Horse award went to the brilliant Benala who stayed clear for all four riders on the final day.

Amazing Final

Jacqueline Braissant, FEI Solidarity Director, attended the event and said, “It’s been another amazing FEI World Jumping Challenge Final. The Caracas Country Club, so filled with greenery and surrounded by magnificent trees, contributed a lot to the nice atmosphere. Everything was convenient on site, the catering, the OC secretariat, Judges’ office, the show arena and the warm-up. For the first time in the history of the six Finals that have been staged, half of the participants were juniors, between 16 and 20 years of age, and among them were 11 girls.

“Most of these young riders are very active. Some of them are on their way to qualifying for the Youth Olympic Games 2014, some are aiming at the Bolivarian Games in Peru 2013 or the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2014. They showed a very high quality of riding. It is also to be noted that many of the coaches accompanying these riders went through the FEI Coach Education Programme.

“The Organising Committee did a wonderful job. They really aimed to please the riders and they reached their goal. Entertainment was organised during the rest day, and the highlight was a wonderful lunch in a typical restaurant outside Caracas. The Course Designer from Iran, Mr Hossein Shafiee, did a fantastic job in creating friendly courses asking different questions for this Final. He received lots of compliments from the riders. The Ground Jury were excellent, working really well together and in a very friendly atmosphere,” she concluded.

The event wasn’t all about the winners, it was about everyone taking part and El Salvador’s Stacey Sutton described it as “a great experience even though I did not make it to the Final. I made lots of new friends and I was able to spend time with them and that was great!”  Tunisia’s Amel Meziane was awarded the prize for the most popular rider by her fellow competitors and said it was “a wonderful surprise – I am really happy!”

Result:

FEI World Jumping Challenge Final 2013:  GOLD – Isabel Sanchez (DOM); SILVER – Siengsaw Lertratanachi (THA); BRONZE – Philippe Burckel (MRI).

By Louise Parkes

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Championships 2010 – World Jumping Challenge Final

Leave a comment
Santiago Diaz Ortega from Colombia claimed gold at the 2010 FEI World Jumping Challenge Final in Guatemala last weekend.

COLOMBIA’S ORTEGA CLINCHES VICTORY IN GUATEMALA

Guatemala City (GUA), 17 December – Colombia’s Santiago Diaz Ortega claimed gold at the 2010 FEI World Jumping Challenge Final staged in Guatemala City, Guatemala last weekend.  Kenya’s Karen Mousley took silver while the host nation’s Wylder Rodriguez took bronze.

A total of 17 riders from 11 countries – Venezuela, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, Bermuda, Ecuador, Chile, Republic of South Africa, Algeria, Malaysia and Indonesia – were selected to compete in this event which is open to 20 Category “A” riders from 10 regional zones.

Competitors ride borrowed horses in this Challenge which was created in 2001, and there is a “change-horse” format in the Final Four competition which decides the medals on the last day.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12750

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Show Jumping

Guatemala to Stage FEI World Jumping Challenge Final

Leave a comment

Lausanne (SUI), 3 December 2010 – The FEI World Jumping Challenge Final, which takes place at Club Ecuestre El Cortijo, Guatemala City (GUA) next week (8-12 December), has attracted a field of 22 riders from 15 countries.

Riders from Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bermuda and Guatemala will compete in the Final on borrowed horses. Competitions will be held outdoors over 1.20 metre courses.

The format for the Final consists of a warm-up competition followed by two qualifiers. The top 50 per cent from the two qualifiers go through to the semi-final to decide the four riders for the final. The top quartet will then take part in a change-horse final, run under the same format as the world championships, to decide the overall winner. There will also be a consolation competition for riders that do not qualify for the semi-final.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12655